


Self Care

by mediocrityatbest



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Other, Tumblr request, platonic royality - Freeform, royality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mediocrityatbest/pseuds/mediocrityatbest
Summary: Roman fights crime because he has to. Because if he doesn't, who will? All Patton's asking is, who's looking out for Roman?
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Self Care

Roman had never seen Patton so angry before in his whole life. Not when they were kids and someone else stole his toys or pulled his hair. Not when they were teenagers and people called him names in the halls. Not even when they were eighteen and he and Roman had gotten into an argument to end all arguments and Roman had, in the heat of the moment, said some regrettable things. Things Patton would have had every right to blow up at him over, or at least return the vile words. (But he hadn’t, had never lost his temper, Roman had never seen him rage as much as he thought he’d seen Patton truly angry.)

None of those instances even came close to this.

"If they do it again," he said, cheeks flushed and eyes burning in a way that nearly had Roman scared (he'd hate to be the one that anger was directed at, that was for sure. He almost pitied them. Almost.), "you tell me. Do you understand? If they so much as look at you again and you don't like it, tell me. If someone even makes you a little uncomfortable or suspicious on the street,  _ tell me _ ." His hands shook, clenched at his sides like he was barely repressing the urge to punch something—or some _ one _ . Roman had never seen him inspired to violence (didn't know he could be), but if he wasn't now, it was a close thing.

"It's alright, Patty," he said quietly, taking one of his fists and uncurling the fingers. "I'm alright."

"But you're  _ not _ ," Patton said, and there was a desperate quality in his voice that made Roman freeze, unable to look up at all. His hand came up, so gently, and ghosted over the scrape under Roman's eye, smoothed down to the lacerations on his palms, ran over the holes ripped into his costume. "You're not okay, Roman. They  _ hurt _ you." He took Roman’s hands, both of them, gently enough that it didn’t aggravate the wounds there.

“It’s part of the job,” he said hoarsely. “It’s what I do.”

“You could have  _ died _ ,” Patton stressed. “That’s not a risk for you to just, just risk like that! These people, Ro, they aren’t playing fair. They have powers. They are hurting you. They want to hurt you. That’s not okay. It will never be okay. Please, Roman, you’re worth more than that.”

“I have powers too,” he defended weakly. “And it’s to protect people. Who else will do it?”

“Who’s protecting you?” Patton asked. He cupped his hands over the backs of Roman’s hands, running his thumbs delicately over his palms. “Who is out there, looking out for you? You deserve to be protected too, Ro. Powers or not, this is not your responsibility.”

“I have to,” Roman said. “If somebody gets hurt and I could’ve stopped it and I didn’t, what does that make me? Just as bad as the person who did it.”

“ _ No _ .” Patton dropped Roman’s hands like they were fire and grabbed ahold of his face, forcing him to finally look at his face. Roman stiffened at the tears in his eyes, the way he had never seen Patton look so completely desperate before. All because of Roman. ( _ Always _ because of Roman.) “It makes you human. It means that you want to live. It means you don’t define your own value based on how much you can do for other people.” Roman flinched. “Roman, please. You are worth so much more than this. You don’t have to keep trying to prove that you are valuable. We already know you are. Caring for yourself is not going to make you less than.”

Roman just stared. He couldn’t string together an answer, a reason. He couldn’t deny that Patton was right, but how could he agree? What would that make him, desperate and pathetic?

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he tried. “I know how much I’m worth, and I know what self-care is, too.”

“Do you ever actually do it?” Patton asked. Roman looked away, even though Patton was still firmly holding his face. There wasn’t much he could do here, nothing that would relieve the pressure in his chest or heal the cuts on his hands.

Patton sighed, letting go of his face and stepping back. “I can’t stop you from fighting completely. But you are not getting off that couch for  _ at least _ a week, understood?” Roman nodded meekly. “Good. I’m going to call Virgil so he can take a look at that cut on your arm, and then we are going to marathon Disney movies and eat snacks like it’s the last day.”

“That sounds...like a pretty good plan, Padre,” he offered. Patton smiled.

“Yep! I can work on sewing up your costume tomorrow, and you can sleep all day to get a headstart on healing.”

“I have to work-”

“You’re taking a sick day to heal.” Patton’s tone brooked no room for argument, so Roman just went lax on the couch.

“A sick day it is,” he agreed.

“What movie do you want to start with?” Patton asked.

“Definitely Sleeping Beauty,” Roman said. Patton nodded and started toward the kitchen, phone in hand.

“Thank you, Pat. I’m sorry you keep having to patch me up.”

Patton looked over his shoulder at Roman, a sad smile on his face. “Just make sure to look out for yourself too, Roro. And I mean it. I’m going to give those villains a piece of my mind next time I see them.” That startled a laugh out of Roman, and Patton walked out of the room.

Roman felt the tiniest bit of weight lift off his shoulders, as though he were playing the part of Atlas and a few pebbles had been taken from his burden. He leaned his head on the back of the couch, eyes slipping shut as he listened to the house creak. It was peaceful, more so than Roman had been finding recently.

He was asleep before Patton made it back.


End file.
